A major improvement to the regulator mouthpiece art was the provision of a custom-moldable, thermoformable dive mouthpiece embodied in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,305,741 and 5,865,170 issued to Moles (which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference). The thermoformability allowed for the customization by the ultimate user.
Thermoformability, however, causes deformation during the heating process of all thermoformable components, including the air passageway to the diver from the regulator. One first attempt to protect the passageway shape integrity during the customization process was taken in the dive mouthpiece product offered by SeaCURE, Inc., which provides a harder plastic band inserted into the passageway which band would not deform during the thermoforming process. In this manner, the passageway would be constrained to maintain its shape by the band. Fabrication of such a mouthpiece requiring components of two different deformation temperatures is more expensive than the fabrication of a similar mouthpiece made of only one constituent material.
Furthermore, during the thermoforming process of customodable dive mouthpieces such as that described in the Moles devices which are the subject of the patents referenced above, the tooth engaging legs of the mouthpiece must be immersed in boiling water. As there is no handle portion, current thermoforming process requires the use of a tool such as tongs to grab the heated, pliable mouthpiece from the boiling water. In grabbing the mouthpiece with the tongs, the tong must engage either the leg portions or the regulator passageway portion, either of which allow for the possibility of unintended and disadvantageous deformation of the thermoformable plastic by the tong pressure.
Further, when any regulator, whether thermoformable or otherwise, is not in use, it must be stored. Typically, such mouthpieces are stored on the regulator. During the storage period, the in-mouth portion of the passageway to the regulator is exposed. During the storage period, dust, microorganisms, and environmental pollutants may enter this passageway. Moreover, during storage, it has frequently been observed that small insects and other animals frequent the enclosed concavity of the in-mouth portion of the passageway.
A removable plug which would maintain the profile of the passageway during the thermoforming process would be an important improvement in the art. Moreover, a plug which would provide a handle would be an improvement on the prior art. Further still, a plug which would releasably seal the in-mouth end of a regulator passageway during the storage period would be an important improvement of the art.